National News

Supreme Court on Forest Rights

November 15 , 2026 6 hrs 0 min 10 0

The Supreme Court clarified that commercial crop cultivation inside reserve forests is not protected under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
The Act recognises the rights of Forest-Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) who depend on forests for their livelihood.
Under Section 3(1)(c), eligible forest dwellers have the right to collect, use and dispose of Minor Forest Produce (MFP).
The case concerns silk cotton cultivation in the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in Tamil Nadu.
Around 3,637.83 hectares of the 5,072.64 hectares of forest land are under silk cotton cultivation.
The Supreme Court directed the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to examine the Tamil Nadu government's claim that silk cotton is a Minor Forest Produce.
The Court observed that planned commercial cultivation cannot be treated as a forest right under the FRA, 2006.